Fire in the Black
by Writer In The Night
Summary: Isula Barrett is not exactly what she seems. Then again, nothing is... Summary sucks, story is better. Bones/OC rated for second-hand torture.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Don't own anything Star Trek related. Only thing I own is Isula.

Chapter One

Isula Barrett was lost. Being new to the ship, this was to be expected, especially from someone like her, with no sense of direction. She had regularly gotten lost in her four years at the academy, and now, even though she'd finally made officer, her sense of direction had shown no improvement. Every corridor on the U.S.S. Enterprise, her new home, looked the same. She knew the sounds of the engines were getting louder, calling her to them, but she just couldn't find them. Just as she was about to give up and try to find her way back to the bridge for better directions, or, better yet, a guide, she ran into someone. Literally, chest to chest, or rather face to chest. She backed up immediately, and bent down to help him pick up the files he had been carrying, apologizing profusely.

"Still wet behind the ears, aren't you," he said, more as a statement than a question. They both stood, and Isula handed him the papers she had picked up.

"Excuse me?" she asked politely, recognizing him as a doctor by his blue shirt.

"New to the Enterprise?" he asked.

"Guilty as charged," she said. "How could you tell?"

"You looked kinda lost," he said.

"Hah," she said. He shot her a funny look. "I always look kinda lost. Normally because I am."

"Where ya heading?" he asked.

"Engine room," she said. "I've already gotten directions from three different people, all of them saying the same thing, and yet I still can't find it."

"Well," he said, "if you keep going down this hall and take a right at the 'T,' then the Engine Room is at the end of that hall."

"Thank you, Doctor…" she said, trailing off at the end.

"McCoy," he said. "Leonard McCoy."

"Lieutenant Isula Barrett," she said, sticking out her hand. "Assistant to Chief Engineer Lieutenant Major Scott. Thank you, Dr. McCoy."

He nodded, and continued on his way, and she continued the way he pointed out. She made it to the Engine Room, and Lieutenant Major Scott was waiting for her. She let the sounds of the engines rush over her before making herself known.

"And she finally arrives," he said, his Scottish accent noticeable, but not thick.

"Sorry!" she said, making her way down numerous staircases to where he was standing. "I got lost."

"Yes, yes," he said. "Bones paged me already, telling me you were on your way. Tell me, does that happen often to you?"

"All the time," she said, shaking her head. "At the Academy, I was constantly getting lost going from class to class. My roommate would have to send out search parties for me just about every other night."

"It's a wonder you got anything done," he said with a laugh.

"Somehow I managed," she said. "So, now that we've had a good laugh at my expense, what are we up to, Lieutenant Major Scott?"

"Scotty," he said. "Call me Scotty."

"Then I must insist you call me Izzy," she said.

"Izzy?" he said.

"Well," she said, "if your parents had settled you with a name like Isula, you'd find a reasonable nickname, too."

After another laugh, they got to work, maintaining the engines and keeping the Enterprise running at her best. Six hours of engine grease later, Izzy was lost again, this time trying to find her room. Another hour of wandering, and she still couldn't find anything, except for the cafeteria, which she had passed about four times already.

"Lost again?" came a voice behind her. She whipped around to find a chuckling Dr. McCoy leaning against the wall.

"Yes," she said, ignoring his laughter, instead rubbing her nose, which she was sure was covered in grease, just like the rest of her uniform. "I'd love to clean up, but I can't seem to find my room."

McCoy sighed before pushing himself off of the wall. "What number?" he asked.

"34879," she said, looking at the floor.

"This way," he said, taking her by the elbow, as if to direct her through the halls.

"Do you do this often?" she asked. He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Help poor, pathetic greens find there way?"

"Not really," he said.

"Then why are you helping me?" she asked as they rounded a corner. "Is it because I looked extra pathetic?"

"No," he said, leading her through a door, which, it turned out, led to the med bay. "It's because you never got your physical."

"Ah," she said, taking in the room. "Shoulda known you'd have ulterior motives."

He walked into the room, stopping once he realized she wasn't following him. He turned around to find her standing in the doorway, frozen in fear . He followed her eyes and found her staring at one of the beds just an instant before she started screaming.

McCoy, acting on instinct, grabbed a hypo full of fast-acting sedative and jammed it into her neck. Her scream cut off as she slumped forward into his arms. He carried her over to a bed and laid her down on it before paging the captain.

"Jim?" he said into the communicator.

"Kirk here," came the response of his longtime friend.

"I've got a sedated lieutenant here that you might want to take a look at."

"I'm on my way, Bones," Kirk said. A few minutes later, James Tiberius Kirk, Captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise, walked into the room. Just as Bones finished telling him what happened, Izzy began to stir. She sat up quickly, breathing heavily as she looked wildly about the room.

"Lieutenant Barrett," Jim said, "calm yourself, or I'll have the good doctor sedate you again."

Her eyes darted to him, and she instantly and visibly calmed at the sight of his Starfleet uniform.

"Forgive me, Captain," she said quietly.

"What the hell was that?" McCoy asked.

"Relapse, sir," she said.

"Relapse from what?" Jim asked.

"It's all in my file," she said, "but I can tell you now if you have the time."

McCoy looked at Jim, and they both nodded to her.

"When I was seventeen, my family and I were in transport to start a colony on the ice planet of Delta Vega. The ship was attacked by klingons, and we were captured. Out of my parents and my two brothers, I was the only one to survive from my family."

"And why did you survive?" Kirk asked.

"If you had read my file, you would know," Izzy said. She sighed before continuing. "When I was fourteen years old, I manifested a special ability. I found that, if I concentrated and flicked my wrist just right, I could bring forth a burst of fire."

"Pyrokinesis?" McCoy asked. "Could you demonstrate for us?" Kirk nodded to Izzy, and she held out her right hand. A quick flick of the wrist and her hand was engulfed in flames up to the wrist. Another flick, and it was gone.

"I fought them with it, but they stunned me, and I woke up on an operating table on an unknown ship in the middle of the black. They began experimenting me, awake and asleep, with and without anesthetics. They were trying to discover the phenomena that I had genetically stumbled upon. They wanted to duplicate it, give it to their ground troops. For three years I suffered at their hands, until Starfleet rescued me. I spent another year recovering, before Starfleet recruited me as a shock troop. Eventually we found that I was more useful in the Engine Room, and they sent me to the academy."

"And that's why you avoided you're physical," McCoy said, nodding. She nodded back to him.

Before they could discuss any more, the ship shook violently, and a loud voice came over the ship's intercom.

"All crew to battle stations, we've got Klingon war birds coming in firing. All crew to battle stations."

Kirk turned immediately to the doctor. "Get this place ready to take on injured," he said before turning to Izzy. "I want you to stay here and assist the doctor as much as you can. Understood, Lieutenant?" Izzy nodded, and he took off out the door at a run. McCoy then turned to Izzy.

"Do you have any kind of medical training, Lieutenant?" he asked.

"Just the same basic first aid everyone gets at the academy," she said. "And, please, doctor, call me Izzy."

"Then call me Bones," he said, rooting through some supplies, apparently in search of something. "'Dr. McCoy' takes too long to say in the middle of a crisis." He tossed something small and white to her, which she attempted to catch, only to have it clatter to the ground when her hand was too slow.

"Damn klingons!" she shouted as she stood from the bed. She bent down to retrieve the first aid kit he had thrown to her, and stood, only to be met by a raised eyebrow. "They had their sticky fingers swirling around in my head for three years. A few things about me are bound to be off after something like that."

The Enterprise shook again and again, as it took more and more hits from the enemy war birds. Injured crew members came trickling in, but there was still hardly anything for Izzy to do. After a mighty explosion not far from the Med Bay, Izzy gasped in shock.

"What is it?" McCoy asked warily as he patched up a cadet with a slight head wound.

"The engines," she said softly, as if her mind was elsewhere. "They're about to overload."

Without another word, she dashed out of the Med Bay, and, running full tilt, made her way to the Engine Room. Trusting momentum to carry her, she jumped, surpassing the first flight of stairs. She rushed down the rest of them, and was met by a shocked Scotty, who was doing everything he could to keep the engines in check.

"We have to shut them down," she said, "or else the whole ship'll blow."

"Captain?" Scotty asked into his comm. "Are you hearing what I'm hearing?"

"Just do it!" the captain shouted as the whole ship shook again. "Do whatever she says is good!"

Without another word, Izzy dashed to the main control panel and began hitting buttons, inputting the shut down sequence.

"I sure hope you're right, Barrett," Kirk growled through her comm as the ship shook yet again.

"It's either shut 'em down, or we'll be blown to space dust," Izzy said.

The ship shook once more as the engines quieted one by one, and Kirk's voice broadcasted over it.

"Prepare for some unwelcome visitors," he said. "Set phasers to stun."

Scotty immediately went to a small weapons cache in one of the back workrooms.

"Here," he said, handing a small, silver gun to her.

"No," she said, her eyes glowing. "I don't need one of those." She flicked both of her wrists, and Scotty yelped as both of her hands burst into flame.

"What the…?" Scotty said in amazement.

"Long story," she said. "Let's just say I'm not going to let those bastards take me again."

"Well then brace yourself, lass, 'cause they're coming," he said.

They waited in the Engine Room as the minutes ticked by, the only sounds and light from the life support systems and the flames on Izzy's hands. Sounds of fighting grew closer and closer, until finally the doors burst open, and thirty or so klingons burst through them, chased in by phaser bolts.

Izzy unleashed a rain of fire at them, using her mind to steady the shots as Scotty turned his phaser, set to stun, of course, on them. As the klingons were pushed farther into the Engine Room, more and more of the crew followed after them, bloodlust in the eyes of some of them.

Izzy had to be careful now. Not only did she have to be wary of the locations of the various crew members, but she could also feel her energy level dropping. She felt a rush of energy, and began going for precision rather than brute force, unleashing only one ball of flames at a time. The fireballs grew smaller and smaller as more of the wrinkly-headed klingons fell, and, after the last few were dropped, she gave into the calm of unconsciousness.

A/N: Well, I hope you liked it. This is my first venture into this fandom, so some feedback would be great. I really have no idea where I'm going with this, so, not only would feedback be great, but it'd be helpful, too. So, lemme know what you think, and, even if you don't, thanks for reading it.

Live long, and prosper.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Star Trek related. Isula, however, and the plot, are mine.**

**Chapter 2.**

**Izzy awoke, some indeterminable amount of time later, to two different sounds. One was of a constant, steady beeping, the other of someone snoring. Her eyes opened slowly, and she instantly had to keep herself from having a meltdown at finding herself hooked up to several machines, one of which was giving off the constant beeping. She knew the past five years with Starfleet couldn't have been a dream. It had been too vivid, too real. She opened her eyes again, even slower this time, if only to prove it to herself, and tried to determine the source of the snoring. She looked to her left, and found a man in a blue uniform sleeping in an uncomfortable looking chair next to her bed. Dr. Leonard 'Bones' McCoy. She sighed in relief. It hadn't been a dream. Starfleet really had rescued her, and she really was on the U.S.S. Enterprise.**

"**Dr. McCoy," she said, trying to wake him. He shifted and mumbled something, but remained lost in his dreams.**

"**Dr. McCoy!" she tried again, this time louder. This time he didn't even move, just grunted in his sleep.**

"**Bones!" she said, trying a different approach. He jerked awake, eyes darting around the room until they landed on her.**

"**I see you've decided to join the land of the living," she said.**

"**I could say much of the same about you," he said, stretching in his chair. He then stood and went to check out the various machines.**

"**How long was I out?" she asked, nervous after his retort.**

"**Three days," he said. "You fainted after the fighting in the Engine Room was over. Nearly gave Scotty a heart attack."**

"**Three days!" she shouted. "What's been happening?"**

"**Starfleet arrived just after the Klingons boarded us," Bones said, checking some of the machines' readings. "Took care of the war birds and helped us finish off the last of the ones on the ship. You know, a good chunk of them Klingons were taken out by you."**

"**How could you tell?" she asked, grinning.**

"**Well," he said, "you were the only one leaving charred flesh in their wake. By the way, how did you manage to do all that without hitting anyone on the crew?"**

"**Lots of control, lots of practice," she said, shrugging it off. She looked out the window and was surprised to see a grassy clearing with a moon high in the sky. "Where are we?"**

"**Earth," he said. "They're doing some repairs on the Enterprise and trying to figure out how the Klingons got so close without anyone noticing them."**

"**Maybe they've figured out how to cloak themselves from our radars?" Izzy asked.**

"**It's possible," Bones said, heading for the door, "but unlikely. Now, I want you to stay in that bed, and try not to fall asleep. I have to go find Jim and let him know you're awake."**

"**More questions for me?" she asked. Bones nodded, a ghost of a smile playing on his usually down-turned lips, and left. Izzy busied herself by looking out the window, watching the wind blow over the grass, trying to figure out **_**where**_** exactly on Earth they were. A few minutes later, Kirk came in and sat in the chair that Bones had so recently vacated, looking slightly disheveled, as if he had just woke up. The silence lasted for a few more moments, and he was the first to break it.**

"**So what happened?" he asked plainly, knowing she'd know what he was talking about.**

"**Power exhaustion," she said simply. "I haven't used my powers that much in years, and it was too much for my system to take. It probably looked like I was hit by a stunner, and, once hooked up to machines, like I was in a coma."**

**Kirk nodded. That had been, according to witnesses and the medical personnel that had seen to her since, exactly what it had looked like.**

"**In reality, I was just in a deep slumber for the past three days. My body was restoring it's energy resources, repairing all of my overstressed organs," she said, slipping into academic mode as she explained it. "Scared the whey out of my parents first time it happened. One minute I'm running around the kitchen, hands aflame, next the fire's gone and I'm passed out, face down on the floor."**

"**Does this happen every time you use your… powers?" he asked. She shook her head.**

"**Only when I use them too much," Izzy said simply. "My body usually sends out a warning shot of endorphins that tells me to stop."**

"**So what happened this time?" Kirk asked, concern for one of his new crew members drawing his eyebrows together.**

"**I simply ignored it," she said, looking him in the eye. "When I saw the Klingons bursting through the door, all I could think of was those three years they had swirled their sticky fingers in my brain, and something snapped. My body's warning shot hardly registered, as determined as I was that they weren't gonna get me again." She looked out the window again, trying to figure out what time it was. Not knowing their location made it nearly impossible. "What time is it?" she asked.**

"**It's about four o'clock in the morning," Kirk said.**

"**Why was Bones sitting at my bedside at four in the morning, Captain?" she asked. Kirk laughed.**

"**First off, call me Jim," he said. "Most everyone else does. Second, I thought that'd be obvious." Izzy shot him a questioning look, and Kirk, Jim, shook his head. "He was worried about you. Hell, we all were. Scotty because your hands lit on fire without any visible influence, though he calmed down once Bones and I explained that that was normal for you, and then we were all worried because you weren't waking up."**

"**Has he been sleeping here for the past three days?" she asked. Kirk, **_**Jim,**_** she reminded herself again, shook his head.**

"**Mostly he just talked to you," he said. "Talking about everything and anything that came to his mind, trying to stimulate you into waking up. Sometimes me and Scotty had to force him out of here to make him eat. The first night, we dragged him to his quarters, hoping he'd get some sleep, but I have a strong suspicion that he just came back here and slept in this chair. When we could get him away, one of us would stay here, in case you woke up."**

"**But why devote so much attention to me?" she asked.**

"**Well, Scotty did it because he sees you as a friend, and I did it because you're a member of my crew. Bones, I think, feels guilty."**

"**For what?" she asked. "It's not his fault I ignored my body's warnings!"**

"**Because he didn't stop you from leaving the Med Bay," Jim said. "He felt personally responsible for you getting hurt."**

"**There wasn't anything he could've done to stop me," she said strongly. "Those engines were going critical, and I had to do my bit to help."**

"**I know that," he said, "which is why I'm not punishing you for disobeying my orders."**

"**Oh yeah," she said, looking down at her lap.**

"**Don't worry about it," he said. "If you hadn't, if I may repeat your own words, we'd all be space dust by now." He stood and stretched, ruffling his hair. "Now I want you to devote all of your time getting better. We can't leave until you are."**

"**Yes, Captain," she said quietly as he turned to leave. "One more question, Jim."**

"**Yeah?" he asked, turning back around.**

"**The other day, when I was telling Scotty to shut down the engines, why did you tell him to listen to me?"**

**Jim laughed. "Contrary to what you might think," he said, patting her on the shoulder, "I actually did read your file."**

**With that, he left. She leaned back on her pillow and closed her eyes, only to open them again a few minutes later as the door opened and Bones walked into the room. "Hey, Bones," she said, startling him.**

"**Aren't you supposed to be asleep?" he asked. She laughed.**

"**I've spent the past three days sleeping," she said. "My body's done recovering."**

"**So I heard," he said, shaking his head. "Do you have any idea how much you scared us?"**

"**Us who?" Izzy asked. "I understand I worried you, and if I had had more time before the Klingon attack, I would've told you this might happen, but I don't know about **_**scaring **_**anyone."**

"**Well you sure as hell scared me!" Bones said, looking her dead in the eye. "You ran out of the Med Bay like a bat outta hell, and the next time I saw you was after Jim had paged me, telling me you collapsed."**

"**I had to run," Izzy said. "If I hadn't, those engines would've blown us to bits. And I didn't have time to explain it to you, because I know my engines." Bones slumped into the chair and sighed. "You know, Bones, it's not your fault." He looked up sharply.**

"**What do you mean?" He said. It was Izzy's turn to sigh.**

"**Jim told me that you feel guilty for letting me out of the Med Bay," she said. "Trust me, it's not. If anyone's to blame, it's me. I didn't listen to my own body. If I had, I would've known that it was okay for me to stop. That I could trust the crew to take care of the rest of the Klingons. But my fear of being taken again overpowered me."**

**Bones's eyebrows drew together, as if he was in deep thought. After a few moments, he spoke. "Something's been bothering me. And not just that," he said.**

"**And what would that be?" Izzy asked.**

"**How did you know the engines were overloading?" he asked. "When the Klingons attacked, we were in Med Bay, and neither of us had any contact with any of the engineers. How did you know?"**

"**I'd tell you," Izzy said with a nervous chuckle, "but you'd probably just think I'm crazy."**

"**After the events of three days ago," Bones said with a smile, "I think I'm learning to roll with the punches."**

"**Just trust me on this," Izzy said. Bones thought for a moment before deciding to let it drop.**

"**So, if you won't answer that question, and you insist that you don't need to sleep, then answer another," he said. She looked up at him and shrugged.**

"**Sure," she said. "What did you want to know?"**

"**Your pyrokinesis," he said. "Any ideas on how it happened?" She shrugged.**

"**It's not an unheard of phenomenon," she said, yet again slipping into academic mode. "Abilities like mine have popped up here and there throughout history. It's not in any means common, but it's not unheard of. Basically, it's a quirk in my genetics. As you must have noticed while you were treating me, my body temperature runs a little higher than normal humans." He nodded, and she continued. "That's another quirk of my… abilities. I can't be burned, and I can't be electrocuted. Nobody really knows why or how I ended up this way. But my pyrokinesis isn't the only special ability out there. And I wasn't the only one the Klingons were experimenting on. I remember one girl they brought in front of me. My memories from those three years are kind of jumbled, and most of them repressed. But I tried to remember the human faces I saw, simply for the matter that, if I ever got away, I could send help for them. Anyway, I remember them trying to get this girl to tell them what I was thinking. At first she wouldn't, but then they did things to her… horrible things. Eventually she cracked, and she told them that I was trying to commit her face to memory. Which, as I said, was exactly what I was doing."**

"**But how could she know that?" Bones asked.**

"**Because she was a mind reader," Izzy said. "And before you scoff, I could probably contact her and prove it to you. When Starfleet rescued me, they got her too, as well as a few others. The girl, Rayne, is currently working with the Academy, helping them sort out disciplinary issues."**

"**Were there any others?" Bones asked. They spent the next hour or so going over who all Starfleet rescued off of the ship, what they could do, and where they were now. Afterwards, stifling a yawn, Bones asked her the big question.**

"**After five years at Starfleet, why did you have a relapse in the med bay?" he asked. "Surely you've undergone physical examinations since your rescue."**

"**I have, and I honestly don't know," Izzy said, shaking her head. "But my biggest theory is that it was the first time I'd seen a med bay in space. I know it seems stupid, but that's the best I have. I don't even properly remember the rescue," she said sadly. "They tell me that it took three months before I could regain consciousness without thinking I was still on that ship, in Klingon clutches."**

"**That must've been difficult," he said. Izzy nodded.**

"**For myself and the medical techs," she said, stifling her laughter. "Apparently it's not nice to throw flaming objects at people who are trying to help you."**

"**Ouch," was all Bones could say.**

"**In all fairness, I only did it the first time," she said. "After that they kept everything out of my reach." Bones 'hmphed,' covering another yawn. "And I may be wide awake, but you sound like you could use some rest." He began to protest, but she cut him off. "Proper sleep is an important part of physical health. And I'm sure that chair can't be comfortable. Go to your quarters, Doctor. I'm fine, and there's no reason for you to feel guilty over anything."**

**Bones must have agreed, because he left, and Izzy resigned herself to counting the ceiling tiles until someone slightly more alert decided to check on her.**

**A/N: Live long and prosper.**


	3. Chapter 3

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY RIGHTS TO STAR TREK, NOR DO I OWN ANY OF THEIR CHARACTERS.

A/N: I don't know anything about engines, so forgive me if anything written on them is a little vague… I'm doing my best to stay away from the engines, yet still keep them in the story, since my main character is, in fact, an engineer.

**Chapter 3**

**Three hours later, Izzy was released with a clean bill of health. The med techs weren't quite sure how she had healed, only that she was. She had one of them lead her to her quarters, wait outside while she showered and changed, and lead her to where the Enterprise was undergoing repairs. Thanking the man that had helped her get around, she made her way to a lift, and into the ship. From there, she grabbed a passing Ensign and had him lead her to the Engine Room. Thanking this one too, she went on to find Scotty, who was elbow deep in engines.**

"**Welcome back," Scotty said, pulling out an arm to wave at her before returning to his work.**

"**Good to be back," she said with a grin before scooting on her back under a piece of machinery, fiddling with this and that.**

"**So…" Scotty began, clearing his throat. "I talked to Bones this morning."**

"**And he caught you up on everything involving your new assistant," Izzy said, nodding, even though he couldn't see her.**

"**Yep," Scotty said simply.**

"**If you don't mind me asking," Izzy said, "what happened to your last assistant?"**

"**Shoulda known you'd ask eventually," Scotty said. "He wasn't up to snuff. Couldn't handle the job. He had the love for machines, but nowhere near your proficiency with them."**

"**Well, thank you for the compliment," Izzy said, smiling into the machinery above her.**

"**Any time, lass," Scotty said.**

**They continued working for hours, sometimes silent, sometimes talking about the different things that brought them into Starfleet ("They rescued me," Izzy said. "It's not like I had much of a choice."), sometimes just passing witty banter back and forth.**

"**Feel like helping me find some food?" Izzy asked after scooting out from under yet another piece of engine.**

"**Sure thing, lass. Let me just…" Scotty said, tightening a few bolts on the piece he had been working on, "finish." He wiped his greasy hands on his almost equally greasy pants before heading for the door. Izzy followed, wiping her yet again greasy nose on her sleeve.**

"**So," Izzy said as they walked back to the lift, "based off your own prognosis, about how much longer do you think it'll take for us to get those engines running?"**

"**With me and you working on them?" Scotty asked. "Well, if we work for the rest of today and tomorrow, we should have them up and running by quitting time tomorrow. That sound about right to you?"**

"**Sounds great to me," Izzy said, a smile on her face. "I can't wait to get back out into the black." Scotty laughed.**

"**I'd have to agree with you on that one, lass," he said, laughing as he led the way back to the building where the crew was staying for the duration of time they were on Earth. Izzy wasn't paying attention to where they were going; she wouldn't be able to find her way back if she did or not, so she didn't really see the point. Scotty led her to a mess hall, and, once they got their food, to a table where Kirk and Bones were already talking animatedly around their food. Well, Kirk was talking animatedly. Bones was just talking. Scotty and Izzy sat, and Scotty jumped right into conversation, whereas Izzy tried her best not to eavesdrop on her higher-ups. That worked long enough for them to realize she was doing so, at which point they decided to drag her in.**

"**So how are you feeling?" Bones asked, looking at Izzy.**

"**Huh?" Izzy said after a moment, looking around before she blushed as she realized they were talking to her. "Sorry, I zoned out there for a moment. What did you say?"**

"**I asked how you were feeling," Bones said, with a grin matched by Kirk and Scotty.**

"**Oh, fine," Izzy said, nodding. "Feels just like any other day."**

"**Any other day for a person that can light themselves on fire," Scotty said with a smirk.**

"**At least I can control it," Izzy said. "You should've seen me in the early days, when I first manifested my ability."**

"**How old were you when it started?" Bones asked.**

"**I was fourteen," Izzy said. "Ended up in the hospital, in a coma, for two weeks because of the power exhaustion from that brief flare up."**

"**Ouch," Kirk said. Izzy shrugged.**

"**I got better every time," Izzy said. "I had to practice, build up the capacity to use my ability, and, eventually, that rush of endorphins was there to tell me when to stop. By the time I was captured, I could light up and stay that way for hours, if necessary. But, after they got their hands in me, I lost all of that. I'll probably never be that good again, because of the Klingons."**

"**Do you hate them?" Scotty asked. Izzy looked at him, one eyebrow raised in confusion. "Do you hate the Klingons?" Scotty clarified. Izzy shook her head.**

"**I hate what they did to me," she clarified, "but I don't hate Klingons in general. At least, I try not to. If I ever ran across any of the ones who did this to me, I'd probably fry them. But, I can't bring myself to hate the entire race. Do you, Jim, hate all Romulons because of what a few did to your father? Or you, Bones, do you hate all women because of the way your wife left? Or, Scotty. Do you hate Starfleet because of the way they stranded you out on Delta Vega?" All three shook their heads, though it seemed to pain Kirk the most. "Then you know what I mean."**

"**When did you read our files?" Bones asked. Kirk was deep in thought, and Scotty was just watching Izzy, waiting for her response.**

"**I read yours this morning, while I was waiting to be released," Izzy said. "I read Scotty's and Jim's as soon as I found out I would be working under them."**

"**Well, you certainly did your homework, lass," Scotty said.**

"**I may have had a lot of issues going through the Academy, but homework was not one of them," Izzy said. Because of the way they were looking at her, she decided to expound. "You see, it's hard to have a social life when you're a paranoid lump. It doesn't help if you make plans, then miss them because you can't find the place."**

"**How did you make it through without being able to find your classes?" Kirk asked.**

"**In the beginning, I relied on my roommate, Rayne" Izzy said. "But she went into a different field, and I ended up wandering around a lot after that. At best I was late for class. At worst, I'd be wandering campus for a hours, not really sure where I was, not really remembering where I was going."**

"**That's horrible," Kirk said.**

"**Yeah, well that's what my life became because of that one group of Klingons," Izzy said with a sigh. "No sense of direction, horrible depth perception, and my powers will never be as good as they once were."**

"**Why was it so much easier for Rayne?" Scotty asked.**

"**She could read minds," Izzy explained. "She could just pluck the location out of a passerby's memory."**

"**So, you were a paranoid lump, were you?" Scotty said teasingly, trying to rile her up, pull her out of the mood she had fallen into.**

"**Yep," Izzy said, biting into her food, not quite raising to the bait, but still coming out of her funk. "The first year I was there, after my basic recovery, there'd be times that I wouldn't leave my room for days on end, and I'd just sit on my bed, terrified, until I'd fall asleep. Rayne was much the same, though she hadn't been held by them for as long as I had. But we both still get the nightmares, which I know tend to put me back into the position I was in when Starfleet rescued us."**

"**Should anyone seeking admittance into your quarters in the morning fear flying, flaming objects?" Kirk asked with a grin, coming out of his own funk.**

"**You told them about that?" Izzy asked, looking at Bones.**

"**Had to," he said simply. "He's the Captain."**

"**To answer your question, Jim," Izzy said, returning to the matter at hand, "no, those seeking early morning admittance into my quarters need not fear flying, flaming objects. Unless I just really don't like them."**

"**But you said that the nightmares put you back with the Klingons," Scotty said.**

"**They do," Izzy said. "But Starfleets accommodations are slightly more, well, accommodating than being stripped naked and strapped to an operating table." The guys shook their heads simultaneously, as if they were all trying to shake horrible images out of their heads. "I think the only saving grace of that place was that I knew it would come to an end."**

"**How did you know that?" Jim asked. "I mean, I can understand hoping that either somebody would manage to rescue you or you'd somehow escape, but how did you **_**know**_**?"**

"**Because of Sienna," Izzy said quietly, after a moment of thought. She was quiet for another long moment, and each of the three men at the table was thinking of changing the topic when she spoke again. "She was the first to see Starfleet coming, but she didn't survive to actually see us rescued." Silent tears dribbled slowly down her cheeks as she continued. "She was a Seer, she could see the future. And while she didn't actually share with all of us that Starfleet was coming, she did show us an end, though this particular end was years down the road. Eventually, Klingons and Humans will form a pact and begin working side-by-side. I hope and pray that I'm still alive when that day comes, and in the same breath I hope and pray that the Klingons who captured Rayne, myself, and countless others, and killed Sienna, and many others like her, don't."**

**A/N: Sorry for the time between updates. Really I should have been working on my Nano, but this chapter was already mostly done anyways. So, I'd like to thank everyone that reviewed, because those things really helped. Anyways, I'll be working on the next chapter once I get this one gets posted… so it may take a bit. For the record, I actually finished my Nano this year… Yay!**

**Live long and prosper.**


	4. Chapter 4

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY RIGHTS TO STAR TREK, NOR DO I OWN ANY OF THEIR CHARACTERS.

**Chapter 4**

**True to Scotty's prognosis, the Enterprise was up and running by the end of day two. At least, the engine room was. The exterior hull still needed some work, in order to prevent any breaches of the internal hull, which meant that Izzy and Scotty had some down time before they were needed again.**

"**This is so boring," Izzy said, slowly tapping her spoon against her cup. Scotty was sitting across from her in the cafeteria, with his own cup in front of him. "I hate days away from work."**

"**You deserve a break," Scotty said. "We've been working non-stop since yesterday morning. You've earned some rest."**

"**It's just always so boring," Izzy said. "I'd rather be working than have a day to myself."**

"**Ah," Scotty said, nodding slowly. "You're one of those people."**

"**One of what people?" Izzy asked, narrowing her eyes playfully.**

"**The workaholics," he said, nudging her equally as playfully.**

"**I'm not a workaholic," Izzy said. "I just prefer to have something to do." She finished her coffee, and set the cup and spoon in a tub of dirty dishes. "On that note, I'm going to go bother Bones. You enjoy your free day."**

"**Tell him I said hi," Scotty said, nodding to her before drinking some of his own coffee.**

**Izzy grabbed an Ensign and, with his help, made her way to the med bay. She thanked the Ensign before making her way into the med bay. She could see Bones through a window, sitting in a small office, surrounded by paperwork, which he was falling asleep on. She quietly snuck up to his doorway, snuck around his desk, and placed a hand on his shoulder, which caused him to jump shamelessly.**

"**How did you get in here?" he asked, once he calmed down and realized it was her.**

"**Same as anyone else," Izzy said. "Through the door."**

"**I didn't see you come in," he said, rubbing some sleep out of his eyes.**

"**First of all, I can be sneaky," Izzy said. "Second of all, you were half asleep on your papers… what's that all about, anyway?"**

"**I was busy for a few days," he said. "I couldn't get all of my work done, so I'm doing it now."**

"**What were you so busy with?" Izzy asked.**

"**I did have quite a few patients to look after because of the Klingon attack," Bones said defensively.**

"**Well, judging from your current state, you need a break," Izzy said, grabbing his hand and dragging him from his chair. She may have been smaller than him, but she'd had more physically exerting training than he did, and could do it easily.**

"**Where are we going?" he asked.**

"**Like I said, you need a break," Izzy said. "We're getting away from the Enterprise, if only for a couple of hours."**

"**Alright, already," he said, tugging his arm out of her grasp. "Stop yanking on my arm. I'm following, I'm following."**

**They left the med bay, and she made him lead her to his room, where she insisted he shower before they leave. She waited outside until he came out, once again in his uniform, as she was in hers.**

"**Alright, I'm clean," he said as he exited his room. "Now will you tell me where we're going?"**

"**Can't," she said, grabbing his hand as she led him out of the building. "Don't know where we're going."**

"**Wait," he said, stopping. "You want to drag me away, but you don't know where we're going?" Izzy sighed.**

"**This is what we call **_**fun,**_**" she said. "It's all about how you get somewhere, rather than where your going." Bones grumbled, but continued on after her. "Besides, once we're out in the black, any adventures that are to be had are bound to be full of danger and deceit. So it's best to get the fun out of the way now."**

**Bones grumbled again, but allowed her to drag him outside. The sun was climbing the sky, and a soft breeze was more than enough to keep them cool. He wasn't sure how long they walked in a companionable silence, but it wasn't until she stumbled, and he went to catch her, that he realized her hand was still holding his.**

"**You alright there?" he asked as he helped steady her.**

"**Uh, yeah," she said quietly, dropping his hand. They continued along the sidewalk until they came to a split, one side continuing with the pavement, the other a barren dirt trail, surrounded by tall, thin blades of grass.**

"**Which way?" he asked, indicating the two paths. Izzy shook her head.**

"**Do you honestly have no sense of adventure?" she asked, leading the way down the dirt path. He followed at her sedate pace. "You might want to remember the way back; my memory's not as good as it once was." Bones looked at her, a playful feeling in his heart.**

"**Senile at… what, twenty-three?" he asked. Izzy shook her head.**

"**Twenty-six," she said with a sniff. "And I'm not quite senile yet. I just have a bad memory."**

"**So how do you deal with it?" he asked as they walked slowly down the path.**

"**Like water off a duck's back," Izzy said simply. "I've got to just shake it off when I mess up, otherwise I'd never get anything done."**

"**Do you treat everyone else's mistakes with such ease?" Bones asked, stopping to look her in the eye.**

"**Oh yes," she said. "If I didn't, it wouldn't be quite fair now, would it?"**

"**You seem pretty big on fairness," he said, still not walking.**

"**I'm a firm believer in karma, too," she said. "If something happens, then it's what was supposed to happen. If I wasn't meant to have powers, I'd be dead right now. If the Klingons hadn't attacked that transport ship, I'd have never joined Starfleet. So, really, all of the bad things that have happened to me, in the end something good came out of it."**

"**Well," Bones said, looking at something behind her, his eyes big, "I'm glad you're of that opinion. Maybe you can make something good out of this one."**

**A question in her eyes, Izzy turned around, to see what he was looking at. Behind her, a giant bear was standing on its hind legs, looking like it was about to roar.**

**A/N: I'm loving the response I'm getting. I hope you guys liked this one, even if it is a little short… sorry! But I'm still trying to get the hang of this. So, please review and all that yada yada. Seriously, though, those are really helping me form my ideas, so let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!**

**Live long and prosper.**


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN STAR TREK, NOR DO I OWN ANY OF THEIR CHARACTERS. I DO OWN IZZY, BUT THAT'S ABOUT IT.**

Chapter 5

The bear did indeed roar, and Izzy grimaced. There was only one way she could see to take care of this, But she wanted to take care not to hurt the Doctor.

"Back up," she said, flicking her wrists. The bear returned to all fours, seemingly confused at the sudden light and smell of fire. Bones did as he was told, and Izzy loosed a small fireball at the ground in front of the bear. The bear reared up, but, instead of turning and running away, as she'd expected it to do, it charged. Izzy could not move, did not even have the time to think. But Bones did.

He pulled a phaser, set to stun, from his hip and shot at the bear before it could get to her. Izzy was breathing heavily as the bear slumped to the ground at her feet. She turned to Bones.

"I didn't even notice the phaser," she said quietly, her eyes wide. "I thought the fire would scare it away."

With a grimace, Bones put the phaser away. Slowly, he reached a hand over to her, and placed it on her shoulder. Within a moment, and without him even realizing what was happening, she was wrapped in his arms, crying on his shoulder. Not wanting to bother her, yet not wanting to be in that exact location when the bear awoke, he scooped her gamine frame up into his arms and carried her back down the path until they came to the sidewalk. About halfway through the quick journey, she looked up at him, her tears gone, her eyes puffy and full of shock and confusion.

Once they reached the sidewalk, he set her down on her feet. Izzy looked at him, a question in her eyes.

"The effects of a phaser set to stun wear off quicker for a bear," he explained, not having to ask her what her question was. "I figured we'd rather not want to be there when it awoke."

Izzy shrugged. "Makes sense," she said. "Sorry about the breakdown." It was Bones's turn to shrug.

"It wasn't the first," he said. "And I'm sure it won't be the last."

"Isn't that the truth," Izzy said, shaking her head. There was a beastly bellow not far down the path they had just came from, and Izzy looked towards the long grass before turning to Bones, her eyes full of glee. "It would seem the stun has worn off."

There was a crashing through the grass, getting closer and closer to them with each passing second.

"Race you back?" Bones asked her, catching on to her amusement.

"I don't know," Izzy said reluctantly, looking around before taking off like a shot in the completely wrong direction. Bones laughed as he ran after her.

A few hours later found them once again in the mess hall at a table with Scotty and Kirk. They were also joined by the half-Vulcan that was introduced to Izzy as Spock and a gorgeous woman that was introduced to Izzy as Uhura. They were just settling into their food when the conversation started really flowing.

"So, did you find a way to occupy your time?" Scotty asked, looking at Izzy. Izzy and Bones both shared a look and a quick laugh before she answered him.

"Let's just say that adventures here on Earth can be just as wrought with danger as anything we'd encounter in the black," Izzy said, grinning.

"What did you do?" Kirk asked, wondering what his best friend had been up to all day.

"Went for a walk and ran into a bear," Bones said.

"Bones stunned it and we ran away," Izzy said, giggling.

"And Izzy ran in the wrong direction, so naturally I had to spend a good hour chasing after her before she heard what I was trying to tell her," Bones said, chuckling.

"That sounds… interesting," Uhura said, not sure what to make of the young woman who seemed so immature, yet, as she was told, worked so well in the engine room.

"I'm sure it looked hilarious to outside eyes," Bones said."I'm picturing it in my head," Kirk said with a leer on his face as he took in Izzy's regulation uniform, "and it does."

Bones shook his head at his friend's man-whore ways, and, as Izzy continued to giggle, his mind went to that afternoon, when she was crying in his arms. She had felt so… so right there. Not because she was crying, but because she was there. Not even Jocelyn, his ex-wife, had felt that right. But he was well on his way to a wonderful friendship, if the afternoon was any indication, and he wasn't one to throw those away.

Izzy's mind, while she giggled away, was also on that afternoon. It was a memory that was good, one that would battle at all of the bad ones in her head. And there were a lot of bad ones. She hadn't told anyone present about the amnesia that she'd been suffering from since the Klingons had gotten her. Most of the memories dealing with her powers and her family had come back while she was recovering but that was about it. The amnesia was on a high clearance in her file, so if anyone at the table had read her file, the only one who would have even seen that the passage was there was Jim. And she wasn't sure if even he could read it. But there still weren't a great many memories in her head, and most of the ones that were there weren't the best.

Jim, seeing that Izzy and Bones were both far away, decided to try and pull them back down to Earth, so to speak. "What are you to being so quiet about?" he asked. The two parties in question looked at him.

"I wasn't aware I was being quiet," Izzy said.

"Aware or not," the one called Spock said, "you were, in fact, being quiet."

"Just thinking," Izzy and Bones said at the same time, which caused them to look at each other, until Izzy blushed and looked away.

"What about?" the one called Uhura asked.

"Everything," Izzy said. "And nothing, at the same time."

"This is illogical," Spock said. "How can one think of everything and nothing at once?"

"It's her way of saying that she doesn't want to tell us," Bones said. _Take that, ya green hobgoblin,_ he thought.

"Got it in one," Izzy said with a thankful grin. Her mind, however, was now far from easy. _He's known me for all of a week, _she thought. _How could he know that already?_

A/N: Hope you liked it… Just let me know what you think! J

Live long and prosper.


	6. Chapter 6

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN IT!**

Chapter Six

Two weeks later, and Izzy still didn't have an answer to her question. They'd been in the black for about a week, and she still couldn't understand how Bones seemed to understand her so well. She was in her quarters, contemplating that very fact when a wave came in. A pale, dark-haired, Amazonian beauty appeared on the screen in academy Reds.

"Rayne!" Izzy shouted, tossing her PADD onto the bed and moving over to the screen. She stopped short when she saw the Reds. "What are you doing in those?"

"I'll be watching the firsties for cheating," Rayne said, rolling her eyes.

"You'd think, with an ability like yours, they'd put you to work with something a little… more," Izzy said.

"Yeah, well," Rayne said. "You can't cheat when your deep in the black and the engines are overloading."

"How did you hear about that?" Izzy asked.

"After everything we went through together," Rayne said, "your mind is rather like a tuning fork. I just have to open up to pick up the vibes. That and Admiral Pike told me."

"You sneak you," Izzy said, laughing silently as she shook a finger at the screen.

"You really are like a tuning fork," Rayne said. "So what is this I keep picking up about a doctor?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Izzy said steadfastly.

"That's bull and you know it, Izzy," Rayne said. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. Don't even try to lie to me. You know I know better, even if you are lightyears away. Or when you're not. And bears are not in season, for the record."

"You're rambling again, Rayne," Izzy said.

"Yes, well," Rayne said. "We all have our own little quirks. Now tell me about this doctor." Izzy sighed.

"You remember those guys at the academy, the cute ones that we never thought were worth it?" she asked.

"Ah, yes," Rayne said, nodding. "We always said that they wouldn't understand our quirks. Why?"

"Because he's about thirty times better than those guys," Izzy said. "And he understands some of my quirks… the ones he knows about, at least."

"Wait a second," Rayne said. "You're the only one of us out there in the black, and your Chief Medical Officer doesn't even know about all of your quirks?"

"How did you know he was the CMO?" Izzy asked.

"I checked in on you and yours," was Rayne's reply. "I do have a pretty high clearance level."

"That's just because they couldn't keep you out if they wanted to."

"You didn't answer my question," Rayne said. "How does he not know about all of your quirks?"

"He knows about almost all of them," Izzy said, looking away from the screen. "Just… not the big one."

"The big one?" Rayne asked. "Which one was the big one?"

"You know," Izzy said. "The one that kept me locked up in our room for an entire month out of every year."

"Of all your quirks, how does he not know about that one?" Rayne asked, her eyebrows to her hairline.

"The reality of it is on an extremely high clearance," Izzy said with a shrug. "I had it penned down as dracorian mumps, a painful, yet non-communicable, disease." Rayne shook her head.

"I don't know why you refuse to be honest about that one," Rayne said. "Like the rest, it's not like it's something you can help."

"Do you realize how many people are sick and twisted enough to take advantage of the situation?" Izzy asked, astonished that her best friend, who was just as paranoid as she was, hadn't thought of such a thing. It was Rayne's turn to sigh.

"I suppose you're right," she said. "Though I doubt your doctor friend would let anyone on the Enterprise take advantage of you the way the Klingons did."

Izzy growled at the mention of those incidents, even if the mention was made only in passing, before comprehending the rest of what the other young woman had said.

"What makes you think Bones and I are friends?" Izzy asked, wondering what gave her away.

"First of all, you're something of a tuning fork, remember?" Rayne said, tapping her temple. "Then there's the fact that he knows about and accepts the quirks that he knows about. And it was cemented by the fact that you just called him by a nickname. If you weren't friends, you'd have called him 'Dr. McCoy.' Before I forget to ask you, shouldn't your big quirk be kicking in soon?"

"Any day now," Izzy said with a frustrated sigh. "I've already been given a leave of absence from my work, and I'm confined to my quarters until this 'outbreak' passes."

"That sucks," Rayne said before glancing away from the screen. "Hey, I have to go meet with a couple of the teachers. Wave you later?"

"I'll be here for at least another month or so," Izzy said. "Any communication would be helpful."

Rayne nodded, and the screen went blank. With another sigh, Izzy grabbed her PADD back up, running through a few pages of engineering jargon.

Another week passed before anyone decided to actually go to her quarters to check up on her. She'd gotten plenty of waves, but she'd kept the well-wishers away up until now. By this point, her 'quirk' had hit her hard, and she'd worked herself up to an awful frenzy. There was a buzz at her door, and she had to concentrate hard on controlling herself and keeping her voice as close to normal as possible.

"Who is it?" she asked, unable to keep the hoarseness from her voice.

"It's Bones," came the voice from the other side, though she only paid enough attention to notice was male. She rushed to the door, opened it, grabbed the front of his shirt, her eyes wild, and pulled him into the room, closing the door behind him. As the door closed, she placed a wet kiss on his mouth.

He responded immediately, as any man would when a woman he was secretly attracted to threw herself at him, and wrapped her up in his arms, kissing her back with all of his might. But kissing him wasn't enough. When she began trying to rip his clothes off, he realized something was wrong with her.

"What are you doing?" he asked, using all of his strength to hold her at arm's length.

"Come on, Bones," she said breathlessly. "You know you want it as much as I do."

"Something's not right," he said, backing up towards the door. He felt his back press up against the door, and opened it, took another step back, and closed it in her face. He turned around, slumped back against the door, and let out a breath.

"Well, at least you're not in flames," came the drawl of an unwelcome voice from down the hall. He looked up to see Jim taking in the rags that, up until about a half of a minute ago, had been his shirt.

"I don't know what's wrong with her," Bones said, "but it sure as hell isn't dracorian mumps."

Jim smirked. "What happened?" he asked as the other man led him down the hall.

"I went to make sure she was alright, and she tried to jump my bones!"

"And that's bad because?" Jim asked, drawing the last word out.

"Because that's not like her, damn it!" Bones said angrily. Jim chuckled quietly as they headed back to Bones's quarters. Once there, Jim sat on the sofa while Bones changed into a shirt that wasn't shredded.

"So what are you gonna do about it?" Jim asked, once Bones was situated.

"Her friend… what did she say her name was?" Bones asked.

"Which friend?"

"The one that helped her at the academy."

"Started with an R," Jim said. "Was it Rayne?"

"That's it!" Bones said. "Maybe she'll know what's going on."

He sent her a wave, and the party in question answered almost immediately.

"Dr. McCoy, Captain Kirk," said the woman. "Is everything alright?"

"What makes you think something's wrong?" Jim asked with a smirk.

"The only reason I can think of that you'd be trying to reach me this time of year would be Izzy," Rayne said. "Let me reiterate. What happened this time?"

"She tried to jump me in her quarters," Bones said, keeping the red from rising to his cheeks with a practiced control. Rayne sighed.

"I probably shouldn't tell you this," she began.

"Let me guess," Bones said. "Another one of her quirks?" Rayne nodded solemnly.

"But this one wasn't caused by the Klingons," she said. "It's one straight from her powers. She's gone into heat."

A/N: Well I didn't see that one coming. Seriously. I was just typing the Rayne/Izzy convo when it hit me. And I totally made up the dracorian mumps, by the way. Hope you liked it. But I can't tell if you did or not if you don't review, so let me know! And if you didn't like it, please tell me what I'm doing wrong. Constructive criticism is always welcome, not to mention extremely helpful as I bumble my way through this.

As always, Live long and prosper.


	7. Chapter 7

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS OR PLOT/SUBPLOTS YOU MAY RECOGNIZE. IZZY IS MINE, AS ARE RAYNE AND SIERRA.**

Chapter Seven

"She's what?" Bones asked, dumbstruck.

"In heat," Rayne replied. "And this quirk can't be blamed on the Klingons."

"Then what is it?" Jim asked.

"It's a direct side-effect of her pyrokinesis," Rayne said.

"How does her pyrokinesis land her in heat?" Bones asked.

"She can create and control fire," she said. "If powers such as ours didn't have nasty drawbacks, we'd have taken over the universe long ago. Has she told you about Sierra?" She waited until both men nodded before continuing. "Whenever she would have a vision, it was physically impossible for her to lie about it. Even my abilities have their issues. I can't block out any kind of inner voice, even if I don't understand the language one is thinking in. If I focus on a certain person, the rest of them are muffled, but still there. With Izzy, she goes into heat. One thing most people don't realize is that all creatures are born of one of the six basic elements; earth, air, water, fire, light, and dark. Humans are generally born of the dark, with the exception of those like Izzy, who are born of whichever element they come to control. Izzy was born of fire. Those of us humans that were born of an element other than dark tend to share traits with other creatures born of that element. Izzy shares certain traits with cats, who were also born of fire. If any of you have ever seen her fight, you'd understand a bit of what I'm talking about."

"So," Bones said before the telepath could jump to another tangent, "she jumped me because she's in heat, and I just happened to check in on her?"

"Pretty much," Rayne said with a smirk, "though I'm sure there's more to it than that."

"What do you mean?" Jim asked. Rayne guffawed.

"I'm her best friend," she said. "Why would I tell you something like that?"

"How about something I'm pretty sure you can answer," Bones said. "Why is it in her file as dracorian mumps?"

"She's extremely paranoid," Rayne said, "though not without reason. She's afraid someone would read that and take advantage of her situation. It didn't come into being until about a year before Starfleet rescued us, but that one month of the last year was worse for her than the first two years put together."

"Did the Klingons…?" Jim asked, too disgusted at the thought to finish his question. The two men were both struck dumb when Rayne nodded sadly.

"In all honesty," she said, "I'm surprised she's let the two of you in on as much as she has."

"What do you mean?" Jim asked, while Bones was busy thinking.

"Have you ever heard of PTSD?" she asked. Jim shook his head, and Bones continued to think.

"It's an old, mental disorder, been around for as long as there have been bad people," Rayne said. "PTSD is an acronym for post-traumatic stress disorder. Look it up for more info on it, I've got a class to get to. But you two be sure that no one, and I mean no one, under any circumstances, is to enter her rooms. Or even speak to her through the door, for that matter. For her safety, and that of anyone that tries."

With a nod, she cut off the transmission. Jim turned to Bones, who still seemed to be lost in thought.

"Well that was… educational," he said.

"What?" Bones said. "Oh, yeah. Interesting."

"Hard to believe, too," Jim said.

"Not really," Bones said. Jim looked at him, and he continued. "She explained everything, and it made perfect sense to me. Though she did tend to ramble."

"You noticed that too?" Jim asked. "I was wondering if maybe I just haven't listened to any lectures recently."

"No, she was a rambler," Bones said. "But that may have been just another drawback of hers. She's a mind reader, remember? She's probably used to listening to long, drawn out ramblings."

"So what are we going to do about Izzy?" Jim asked, returning to the topic at hand.

"Leave her be, maybe?" Bones said. "Post a 'do not disturb' sign on her door? Other than that, I don't think there's anything else we can do?" Jim nodded, but another question came to his mind.

"Wait," he said. "What's PTSD?"

"What?"

"PTSD," Jim said. "Rayne brought it up there at the end. Said Izzy had it. What is it?"

"Look it up," Bones said. "And give me some privacy. I've got some thinking to do."

Jim gave his friend a knowing smirk before leaving the quarters. As soon as the door closed, Bones began pacing.

That kiss… that kiss had been almost more than he could take. If she hadn't shredded his shirt the way she had, he probably would've let it lead where she'd been going. And that was a troubling thought. His ex-wife hadn't had that kind of control over him, yet she'd still turned his world upside-down. The thought of Izzy being able to do the same thing, with only a kiss, made him shudder. And yet he knew Izzy was nothing like his ex, even in her current state, or even as Jocelyn had been when they'd first met.

But there seemed to be even more to it than that. If he'd met her on the street, he probably would've asked her out on principle. But they worked together. They'd see each other probably every day for as long as they were both on the same ship. If they did get together, and it went horribly wrong (which, with his luck with the fairer sex, it probably would), there wouldn't be any getting over this one. There would be the constant, daily reminder of what once was, what could've been. No, he was better off just letting it be. They both were.

A/N: Hope you liked it. :P

Live long and prosper.


	8. Chapter 8

**DISCLAIMER: IF YOU KNOW IT, I DON'T OWN IT!!!!**

**A/N: I guess I should have said something about when this whole thing starts… sorry. I didn't realize that I hadn't until someone pointed it out to me in a review. This whole thing takes place about five years after the movie, which means it's been at least eight since Bones got his divorce. Izzy and the others were rescued while the fleet was in the Laurentian system. Sorry if I lost anyone because it seemed that Bones was jumping from his bad divorce to going gaga over Izzy…**

**Warning: There will be a second hand recount of a moment in the torture of Izzy in this scene, and it is rather disturbing. When I was writing it, I actually had to take a break because I had begun to actually physically feel her terror, her fear. So, if you cannot stomach anything, skip over the section where Spock and Izzy are meditating.**

Chapter Eight

About two and a half weeks after what Bones had dubbed the 'jumping incident,' a bleary-eyed, Izzy, her hair looking much like a black haystack, stumbled out of her quarters, grabbed a passing ensign, and was lead to the cafeteria. She grabbed some food and found Jim, Bones, Scotty, and Spock sitting at a table, talking over their breakfasts. She slumped down in a chair between Bones and Scotty, looking rather worse for wear, and gaining the attention of the four men.

"You alright?" Bones asked, the jumping incident coming unbidden to his mind. Izzy grunted before digging into her food.

"You look like you haven't eaten in a month," Jim said, fighting to hold back his laughter. Izzy paused to swallow before answering.

"I might as well have not," she said. "Dracorian mumps takes a lot out of you."

Bones and Jim shared a pointed look at this, but let it go. They had agreed, after little discussion, to keep what they'd learned from Rayne a secret. They had another eleven months before they had to deal with it again, and they'd rather let her know what all they knew in private. "So what did I miss?"

"Nothing really," Scotty said. "The most interesting thing that happened while you were ill was the turbolift going out. Nothing I couldn't handle."

"So how are you feeling?" Bones asked.

"Like I said," Izzy said, "Dracorian mumps takes a lot out of you. I don't really remember anything from the past month."

Again, Jim and Bones shared a pointed look. Bones wasn't really sure if he wanted her to have remembered the jumping incident or not, no matter how much Jim joked about it. However, he knew his friend. He'd slip a joke in around Izzy, and then she'd either be pissed at him for not telling her, or she'd be so embarrassed that she'd stay away from him, and, for some reason, he didn't want her to stay away from him. He should. If he knew what was best for him, he'd stay away from the dangerously attractive woman before him. But, he couldn't, even if it killed him.

"That's odd," Spock was saying. "I have never heard of Dracorian mumps causing memory loss."

"Really, it doesn't," Izzy said, taking another bite of her food and swallowing it quickly. "But it causes the person to… escape from themselves. They don't really know what they're doing. Having suffered from it as long as I have, my mind just automatically blocks the memories when I come out of the state, as if it were all just a bad dream."

"That seems illogical," Spock argued. "Why would your mind block an entire month of your life?" Izzy sighed, hastily eating another bite before she answered him.

"I haven't met very many people that suffer from Dracorian mumps, and I know that the effects of the disease vary from case to case, but most of us repress what happens while we are under the influence of the disease," Izzy said, pausing to take another bite. "It's like… we succumb to our subconscious, and we are controlled by our basest instincts, our deepest, secret feelings. There have been people, whose minds _didn't _suppress the things that they did, that simply went insane from it. So, it's actually quite logical to do away with the memories from that month."

The table was silent for a moment as they took in what Izzy said, and Izzy shoveled more food into her mouth.

"Perhaps," Spock said quietly. "Perhaps I could be of assistance. The Vulcan race has a great many meditative techniques. Perhaps, if I were to teach you a few of them, your Dracorian mumps will not effect you as badly as they do."

Izzy stopped, fork poised at her gaping mouth, and looked at him. Bones and Jim were also looking at him. Izzy remained as she was for a long moment, pondering. While she didn't really have Dracorian mumps, everything she had said was true. When she went into heat, she was stripped of the barrier between her conscious thoughts and her subconscious, and her mind instinctively repressed the memories of that month every year. Perhaps, as Spock had said, the Vulcan meditation would help her, not only bear with those memories, but actually control herself a little better when she did go into heat again. Her decision made, her hand continued on the path it had paused so abruptly on, and she slowly chewed the food before answering him.

"That would be very helpful, Spock," she said. "Thank you."

It was three days later, as the Enterprise stopped into an orbit around a strange, golden planet. Izzy was in the med bay, for what seemed like the umpteenth post-illness check up that Bones had called her in for. They were the only two in the med bay, for some reason, until Jim walked into the room. He glanced at Bones, who nodded ever so slightly at him, and scooted a chair over to her bio bed.

"What's going on?" Izzy asked, sitting up on the bio bed.

"We know what's been going on, Izzy," Bones said, noticing how she visibly stiffened.

"What are you talking about?" she asked. Bones continued with her check up whilst Jim filled her in on the jumping incident, and how it had led them to contact Rayne. By the time he was finished telling her what all they knew, Bones had finished with the check up and pulled a chair over to the other side of her bio bed.

"So you basically went over my head to find out that my file lied about the Dracorian mumps," Izzy said slowly, "and Rayne was more than happy to fill you in on my life?"

"Pretty much," Jim said. "Has Spock's meditation training been helping?"

Izzy thought back, to the previous evening, when she had met Spock in her quarters and 2000 hours, as they had planned.

"Greetings, Spock," she said, holding her hand up. "Thank you again for helping me."

"Greetings, Lieutenant Barrett," Spock said, stepping into her quarters. "And it is very much my pleasure to help any crew member as best I can."

"Please," Izzy said, "if you refuse to call me Izzy, at least call me Isula when we are here. It'll help me listen better."

"Whatever you think will help is fine, Isula," he said. The two of them had gotten situated, sitting indian-style on the floor, facing each other.

"Now, you need to close your eyes," Spock said. Izzy slowly closed her eyes, "and let your mind wander. Let it go where it may, but focus on the memories it brings to bear. Do you have a memory in mind?" Izzy nodded.

"It's… I'm on a ship," she said. If her eyes had been open, they would have been vacant. Her entire being seemed to be focused on that memory. "I'm strapped to a table… where are my clothes? Where are my parents? And my brothers, Simon and Luigi? Oh my God! I remember now. The Klingons, the death, the fire, the phasers trained on me… then floating away. Where am I? There's… there's someone else here. She's strapped to a table, like me… but…" Izzy gasped. "Somebody's been cutting into her head. She's looking at me, staring at me! Something's telling me to run, but I can't go anywhere. I'm fighting against the bonds, but all I get for my struggles is red marks across my stomach, my arms, my legs. God help me, I'm scared." Izzy began to shake, and Spock knew something was wrong. She had gone too far into the memory. He tried to shake her, to bring her out, but, as her eyes opened, they were rolled back into her head. He thought about calling for a doctor, but she began to speak again.

"The door's open… a pair of Klingons have walked into the room. They look like doctors, but their clothes are covered in red splashes… is that blood?" The shaking stopped, but Izzy's face was still gone. "One of them's doing something to the other girl… he's digging in her head, in her brain! The other's looking at me, I think, but I'm paying too much attention to the other girl… I need to remember her face, in case I ever get out of here. She's tall, and dark. She's got black eyebrows, darker than mine, and her huge eyes are brown. The Klingon by me has something shiny in his hand, distracting me. He's… it's something sharp. Why is it coming closer? Why is he, what's he going to do?" Her vocal train of thought was cut off as she screamed. The scream itself was horrible, high-pitched and loud. But it carried something else, something… something full of more pain than any one person should have to bear. And, as quickly as it came, it cut off. Izzy collapsed on the floor, panting, as her eyes focused on the ground before her.

"Are you… are you alright, Isula?" Spock asked, kneeling by her side. "Do you require a doctor?"

"N… no," Izzy said shakily, taking the hand he offered and sitting up. "I… I'll be okay. Just give me a minute."

Spock nodded and stood, walked over to the replicator, and returned to her with a small glass of water, which he handed to her.

"Thank you, Spock," she said, slowly sipping on the water.

"Was that when you were first taken by the Klingons?" he asked, his slanted eyebrows drawn together in concern. Izzy nodded.

"I told you it was logical for the mind to block some memories," she said. "You've just witnessed some of what I relive almost every night. Well, it's not always that scene, of course, but it is always more of the same. Find myself strapped naked to a cold table, usually with another person strapped on another table in the room, Klingons enter, and pain. Lots and lots of pain."

Izzy and Spock had decided to continue these sessions, on the basis of, if he could learn more about what had happened to her, he could help her deal with it more. They had talked for hours, going over that one memory, and she had told him about her heat, because, what if the next memory she relived happened then, when she was in heat? She thought it best to tell him, the only one on the ship that would truly understand what it felt like.

"Izzy?" Jim asked, calling her to the present.

"Huh?" she asked before shaking her head back and forth. "Oh, uh, not quite how we planned, but that's the wonderful thing about plans… they change."

A/N: Wow… I told you it was intense. Anyway, I hope you liked it, or at least survived it and wanted to hear more. :P So, anyways, a couple of things. I know I've asked you to review, and said that constructive criticism is helpful. And it is. Just… don't tell me that Izzy is a poster child for Mary Sues. That's actually part of why this chapter took so long. So, no, I don't mind constructive criticism, but keep it constructive. If you think the story's crap, that's fine. Nobody here is forcing you to read it. I would like to thank those of you that reviewed, but please, folks, let's keep them helpful. Love you all.

Live long and prosper.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I'm tired of these. See chapter one.

Warning: This chapter has more of the same as the last chapter. There will be another delve into Izzy's memories, again, strictly those from her years with the Klingons. So, if you wish to not read that, you may as well skip this chapter, because the whole chapter will be her memories… though there may be a scene with Bones at the end… I'll put a little break at the end so you'll know where it's at. I'm also going to try to add a happy memory, from before the Klingons. If it's not in this chapter, it'll be in the next.

**Chapter Nine**

**Izzy was, once again, sitting indian-style on the floor in her rooms, though this time, not only was Spock there, sitting across from her, but Bones was there, as well, sitting on her bed. When he'd heard what she and Spock were doing, he insisted on being there, if only to sedate her if she cracked.**

"**Are you ready, Isula?" Spock asked, his dark eyes trained on her bright ones. She nodded, and they began. "Just like last time, I want you to close your eyes. Now, let your mind wander, to whichever memory it so chooses. Once you have a memory in mind, focus on it as you did last time. Where are you?"**

"**I'm strapped to the table… it's cold against my back," she said, her face blank. "I really wish I could get some clothes, but the Klingon that was with me… was it yesterday? Time is so hard to tell here… I don't even know how long I've been here. Anyways, he laughed in my face when I asked for a blanket. The Federation wouldn't treat their prisoners like this, I don't think. But, now that I think about it, I don't think these guys are working with the rest of the Klingons. Rayne was on the table next to me when I woke up, but they moved her somewhere else… I hope she's okay. I hope they're not hurting her. They overheard us trying to plot an escape attempt earlier, but they haven't punished us yet, just took her away. What's that noise? It's like a buzzing in my ear… no, more of a whirring… what is that? Why can't I move? Somebody's holding my head steady. Ooh… they are mad about earlier. This must be the punishment. The whirring sound's getting closer, like a mosquito moving towards my ear, but louder, more whirry than buzzy-" She was once again cut off by her own scream. She didn't collapse this time, but cut her scream off herself. She was panting loudly while Bones ran a tricorder over her.**

"**Are you alright?" he asked. She pushed him away.**

"**I'm fine," she said stiffly.**

"**What was the sound?" Spock asked. Izzy cast him a strange look, and he reiterated. "What was causing the sound by your ear?"**

"**A drill," Izzy said. "Rayne and I had been trying to figure out a way to get out, but the sedatives had kicked in before our plans got very far. She never told me what they did to her, but they drilled into my skull, even used the drill to rip out some of my hair before moving into the skull. After that, they used some kind of hook inside the hole they made, and swirled it around in my brain. I think it was that part that made me lose my memories."**

**Bones looked disgusted, but continued with the tricorder. Spock's face simply held a look of mild concentration. As the tricorder chirped, Izzy pushed the doctor away.**

"**Alrighty, Spock, let's have another go," she said.**

"**You wish to go through that again?" he asked. She nodded.**

"**Who knows," she said. "Maybe I'll manage to pick up a good memory."**

**With a sigh, Bones headed back to sit on the bed while Spock returned to his spot in front of her.**

"**I want you to close your eyes again, Isula," Spock said. "Let your mind wander."**

**Before he could continue, she was already lost in another memory. It was not, as she had hoped, a good one.**

"**No no no no no no…" she moaned. "Make them stop… make it stop! I can't… I can't… you can't make me! I won't do it… I won't! Your sick. Twisted! I won't light up! I won't kill a person… I won't end a life… you can't make me! No!!!!" She screamed again. But, unlike the last time, the scream did not free her from her mind. "Ow… what happened? Why does my back hurt? My head… why can't I move? The table… I'm back on the table? Why am I back on the table? Where was I? Wasn't I in… in some sort of… firing range! That was it! Those bastards! They should've known I wouldn't do it! I wasn't going to light Sienna up like a bonfire… what happened after that? No… no… I didn't… but it wasn't me… there was… there was someone else in my head. He did it! But… Sienna… no… please… please make it stop… make it… STOP!!!!"**

**This time she did collapse, but her eyes remained unfocused.**

"**Oh… God yes… mmm…." she said, completely unaware at the audience that was shocked by her change in demeanor. Her face, which had been screwed up in pain, was now slack, with a small, pleasurable smirk on her lips, which was falling as she spoke. "Oh… oh yeah… wait… no… you're not James… you're not him… get off! Get off get off get off!!! NO!!! I don't want this… I don't want you. Get off of me, you bastard. I can't move my arms… I can't speak… what's wrong with me? The flashes of warmth, the cool of the table… the anger… the pain… the… pleasure… the rage… the humility… I DON'T WANT THIS!!!! WHY WON'T IT END!!!!!!"**

**Her eyes began to focus, but slid away again. This time, she was smiling once more.**

"**Bears are not in season, Mr. McCoy," she said, her eyes open, but rolled back in her head. "But that was funny. Why is he chasing me? What's he shouting? Wrong way? What… why am I running? The bear, that's right. He saved me from the bear. He's cute. Why did I break down? I remember… crying… in his arms. He held me as I cried. He smelled good. And he felt good, too. And he… no, Klingons… banish that memory, it'll spoil everything. What was I thinking about? Oh, that's right… Bones. He's attractive… I can see why Nurse Chapel likes him… it's nice to have a female friend. We can dish about boys and such. I just… I just… what's going on? I'm running… there's a man behind me… oh, that's right. Bones. Wrong way… the ship must be the other way, silly me. God it feels good to laugh. I haven't laughed like this since… since… I wish those memories would come back… it would be nice to remember something that wasn't fire and Klingons and Starfleet. Ah well. I'll take what I can get… no, don't think about that. The Klingons aren't here… they have no power over me now. I won't let them. I won't be the victim again. Haha… Bones is funny. The look on his face when I passed him… I wonder what he's thinking?"**

**She straightened up, and this time her eyes were focused once more on the floor in front of her. Bones was already next to her, tricorder scanning. She shakily rose to her knees before continuing the motion and sitting back on her butt. The tricorder came back with a clean bill of health, save for her brain, but that was normal for her. Spock was still sitting across from her, and Bones sank down to sit next to her.**

"**What happened there?" Bones asked. "It was like we couldn't reach you."**

"**I… I think I was lost for a moment there," Izzy said. "I fought my way out of that first one, then the second one hit me like a freight train. My mind actually forced me out of it, because it was breaking down my barrier, and brought up that third, happier, if slightly embarrassing, one."**

"**But, you're okay, right?" Bones asked. Izzy giggled.**

"**I'm fine, Bones," she said. "I came out of the trance, even if it took a little while longer than it should have."**

"**Do you believe it will happen again?" Spock asked. Izzy shook her head.**

"**No," she said, still looking at Bones. "Now that I know it can happen, I know how to not let it happen."**

"**I think that is enough for one night," Spock said, standing from his cramped position. "I shall see you the evening after tomorrow."**

**With that, he left. Bones and Izzy stared at each other for a moment.**

"**So, Chapel likes me, huh?" he asked, breaking the ice.**

"**You can't tell her I said anything, Bones," she said. "I'm serious. It may not have been my fault, but that little slip was an infringement of girl code. Can't help it."**

"**What was that you said in the last one, about your memories before the Klingons?" he asked. Izzy sighed.**

"**I knew someone would figure it out eventually, but I hoped I would be better prepared," Izzy said. "When I said earlier that they messed up my memory, I was serious. It was like someone had hit delete on a PADD. They're just… gone. In the past five years, I've managed to get back about a handful of them, but that's it… and they were all regarding my powers. The James that I mentioned earlier, the one from the memory? I have no idea who he was or why I would think of him. I don't remember anything about Simon and Luigi either, and they were my brothers. But, if those seventeen years of memories were the price I had to pay to forget those three years of torture, I paid it happily. But now I'm asking for my money back."**

"**I wonder why your subconscious hasn't picked up any of those lost memories," Bones said, more to himself.**

"**Maybe the others were closer to the top of my mind," Izzy said helpfully.**

"**Then I feel honored to be on your mind," Bones said. "And… I know this is going to sound like cheating, but that last memory did explain something, something that Rayne had said when Jim and I were talking to her."**

"**Oh good Lord," Izzy said. "What did my telepath of a best friend say now?"**

"**It was just after the jumping incident," Bones said, "and I was confirming that you'd jumped me because you were in heat. But she said that she was sure there was more to it than that. I didn't have the faintest inkling of what that meant until just now."**

"**And, what does that mean?" Izzy asked.**

"**It means you like me," Bones said, "in the same sense that I like you."**

"**Really?" Izzy asked, her voice strange, her throat tight. Bones nodded. "Oh thank God."**

**They lunged at each other.**

**A/N: Just thought I'd appease the Gods (or Goddesses) of the fandom with that last bit there. It happened a little sooner than I would have liked, I mean, they hardly know each other. But the timing couldn't have been more perfect. And I hope you like the whole 'two chapters in one day' thing, because I worked hard on both of them. They've left me emotionally distraught, so I think I'll sleep before I decide what Bones and Izzy are going to do in their 'alone time.' :P**

**Live long and prosper.**


End file.
